We aren't saying that this is true!

MONDAY, APRIL11, 2022

Just that it's been said: We aren't saying that this is true.

We're just saying that it has now been said.

We refer to the message being delivered in The Atlantic's new cover essay. The headline above it says this:

WHY THE PAST 10 YEARS OF AMERICAN LIFE HAVE BEEN UNIQUELY STUPID

Have the past ten years of American life been "uniquely stupid?" We don't know how to quantify something like that.

That said, the author refers to a growing "Babel." We will sign up for that development as a significant point of concern.

At any rate, the author said that we've become uniquely stupid. After that, we flipped over to Slate, where we were greeted by this:

RICH JUZWIAK / APRIL 10, 2022 / 6:00 PM
I’m Afraid My Lust for “Milky Ricky” Is Taking Over My Life

When we clicked, we were taken to this:

Dear How to Do It,

I have a strange attraction to confess. My local corner store has these delicious lollipops—they taste like strawberry Chupa Chups, but even better—and they’re called Milky Ricky. The logo is a nubile young cartoon cow; I imagine this is the eponymous Ricky. Lately, I have found myself dreaming about Ricky. I began waking up turgid once a month, but the frequency has increased to once every three days. Even more disturbingly, I only find myself able to perform with my partner when thoughts of Ricky are dancing through my head like sugarplums.

How can I stop pining for my bovine beau, and begin living again?

— How Many Licks

Slate agreed to pretend that the request for advice was real. More and more, and more and more, our blue tribe culture is like this.

Could it be that The Atlantic is right? Not just the part about the Babel, but also the part about the weirdly, uniquely stupid?

In fairness, an earlier example: Dowd kept writing about Gore's bald spot. No one said a word!


15 comments:

  1. "Have the past ten years of American life been "uniquely stupid?""

    Yes, but only on the liberal side, in our humble opinion.

    "At any rate, the author said that we've become uniquely stupid."

    The Atlantic, eh? No, we don't think scumbag neocons are exactly stupid, dear Bob. They serve their masters, and they get paid. Writing uniquely stupid things is their job, that's all.

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    Replies
    1. Correction:
      "No, we don't think..." should be "No, the Establishment doesn't think..."

      Sorry for the inconvenience.

      Delete
    2. "Only on the liberal side..." the cognitive dissonance here is incredible.

      Hmmm... uniquely stupid things from the right.

      Rooting for Russia. This requires a complete failure to comprehend history since WW II, and/or a complete devaluation of the value of democracy and freedom.

      Lauren Broebert. Too many examples to pick one.

      Marjorie Taylor Greene. Ditto. (raised $3.2 million in one quarter... her stupidity is a PLUS in Republican fundraising)

      Stupid lies about windmills. Pizza shop pedophilia. Nearly 2/3 of Republicans believing Trump won the election, sans evidence. Parkland and Sandy Hook were staged ops to promote gun control. Covid isn't real. Bill Gates is trying to depopulate the planet. On and on and on...

      Delete
    3. Anyone who isn't a bigot, or isn't perfectly fine with bigotry, left the Republican Party more than two decades ago.

      Delete
    4. "This requires a complete failure to comprehend history since WW II, and/or a complete devaluation of the value of democracy and freedom."

      Nazi-sympathize much, dear dembot?

      Well, whatever; that's your own business. But thanks for demonstrating our point.

      Delete
    5. In other words,

      But but but... Ukraine has Nazis!!!

      Delete
    6. Oh puh-leeze, dear dembot.

      There are Nazis everywhere, but hardly anywhere they form the elite military units.

      Delete
    7. Okay Qbot, pulling out your big gun of debate here! So your argument to root for Russia, is... Ukraine bad (which you failed to even establish yet.) Right. So that qualifies as stupid.

      Then we have all the untouched points. And the examples I haven't even brought to the table yet. Countless ones.

      So not looking too good for the no right wing unique stupidity argument, is it?

      Delete
    8. "root for Russia", "Ukraine bad". Tsk. Calling you braindead dembots 'uniquely stupid' is an insult for the uniquely stupid, we're sorry to say...

      Delete
  2. Jonathan Haidt is a conservative, his main agenda is to prohibit any progressive or leftist movement. This seems to be align with Somerby's agenda as well, so no surprise that Somerby references him.

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  3. Seems to be "phone in the generalizations Day" here at the Howler. Anyone else notice how Bob's "tomorrow at the Howler" hypes seem to echo the "coming up next" teasers on the cable shows he so despises?

    In the 90s, where Bob was a useful fixture, a lot of the Great Dumbing Down took place. Bill Clinton has been vilified for his successful Presidency. The worst of his tormentors have been rewarded by the system. Bob lost interest in all this.
    Was the rise of Trump a reaction to the utter failure of W's policies, which were simply the core of "conservative" American thought? It would seem a natural question, but the chattering class has never asked it. Nor has Bob.

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  4. I wish Bob would post some kind of parental guidance warning before he posts excerpts from Slate's advise column.

    I'm far too young to read that garbage.

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  5. When you have Babel on Babel you have the start of a tower.

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  6. "Dowd kept writing about Gore's bald spot. No one said a word!"

    Why should anyone have said anything about this?

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